Jump to content

Menu

SPD and clothes


MedicMom
 Share

Recommended Posts

DS7 has SPD, diagnosed when he was 2. He has not met the cut off for OT since he was 5, and has been on the list for private OT for over a year. It’s a two to three year wait here, since there is only one pediatric OT serving a tri county area. We are fairly rural and there’s simply not a lot of services here.

 

In any case, it seems to be worse this fall, and he is flat out refusing to wear anything but silky shorts and soft t shirts. This would be fine if we didn’t live in the ice box of New York. I couldn’t let him go to church today, which he loves, because he wouldn’t put on a coat or long sleeve shirt. It’s barely 25 degrees out; he can’t walk to the car in shorts and a t shirt.

I know Target has some adaptive clothing, but only one long sleeve shirt in his size and no pants. Any other ideas? We are going crazy trying to figure out how to fix this. His complaint is that long sleeve shirts and pants are too itchy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While not ideal, unless he has a long walk to the car, he CAN walk to the car in shorts. I had a foster son who wore shorts year round. In the winter he just put his snow pants on over the shorts ðŸ˜.

 

I have been know to go in and out with temps below zero with shirt sleeves and no jacket. Just take along warmer stuff for those just in case moments of car trouble, accident, etc.

 

Would he do the boys soft joggers from Old Navy? Long silky track pants? Boys running tights under his shorts?

 

I know these might not be typical church wear but might work for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you find long sleeved shirts to put under others clothes to help with layering? Same with pants, like soft polyester or flannel to help under some other pants?

 

Have you read books or gone on websites for SPD? I can't think of skin things off the top of my head, as DS has minimal skin concerns. But maybe rubbing types of fabrics against the skin at the store can help you decide what to buy (if you can take him shopping). We use the surgical scrub brushes to create sensory input but IDK if it would help with new types of clothes. In general, getting kids used to different things is helpful, so I'd work on buying different fabrics that are common, and looking at how the weave is, and get him used to rubbing the fabric against his skin. DS tends to be sensitive in certain places (elbows, neck, back), but ok in other places. So maybe desensitize problem areas.

 

Another thought about jackets and coats is they tend to be heavy and restrictive, maybe a no-go sensory experience, so maybe a larger or less heavy jacket? I avoid buttons/zips/tighter clothes for the most part still, when it's close to the skin, and my DS is older.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

First of all, are you SURE he's 7, because I swear he was just 4?? I hate it when these things happen ;/

 

As a last resort, can you wrap him in a blanket? Sure, wear the shorts and t-shirt, but you have to bring fhis blanket everywhere. Or something like a snuggie (is that still a thing?). How about silk/merino blend long underwear? Those are soft (imo, which may not matter) and sometimes not too terribly expensive?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might look on youtube for the tests for retained primitive reflexes and work on them yourself. Some of my dd's clothes sensitivities improved with working on retained reflexes. Pyramid of Potential has a dvd. 

 

I'm surprised you can't find another OT. What if you widened your net? We've been through so many OTs. Half the time they're worthless anyway. You might look on the SIPT list. Or look for a PT who is trained in retained reflexes. You could become an OT yourself in the amount of time you're waiting. We had one who did her degree by mail order.  :svengo: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was going to suggest Hanna Andersson too. I can't stand the abundance of cheap polyester and fleece that's ubiquitous in kids clothes these days. I can't even touch some of my kids' clothes without gagging.

 

My oldest is terrified of overheating, so it's difficult to get him in warm clothing (except for hunting, he has no problem bundling up for that, coveralls don't cling I guess). This year I just let it go, and he decided at what point he was willing to wear warmer clothes. It's colder than I would prefer.

 

I went to college with a guy who only wore shorts, even when it was single-digit temps with a couple feet of snow. He had a very full beard to keep him warm, lol.

 

If he's itchy, would he be willing to put on an anti-itch/eczema lotion before putting pants on? With SPD, maybe not but might be worth a shot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 You could become an OT yourself in the amount of time you're waiting. We had one who did her degree by mail order.  :svengo: 

 

If it's anything like SLP, that sounds worse than it really is. Watching an online lecture isn't terribly different from sitting in some big lecture hall listening to the professor speak live (I did my 1st bachelor's in person and my 2nd online). The supervised clinical practica is where most of the actual training happens.

 

USC actually offers their Sensory Integration training course sequence online as well as in-person these days.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...